For the third piece of my series about Santiago, my hometown, I wanted to share with you my favorite green spots, parks you can visit for free and where you can enjoy the sun and the view, and chill out.
First of all, Santiago is not as green as other cities in the world, but the parks we have are big, nice and well maintained. They are usually crowded because people from the entire city area go there on the weekend or after work, so don´t expect to be the only one visiting the park. Picnics, dog-walking and other outdoor activities are very popular in our parks, mainly in summer.
Like many other cities in the world, Santiago, too, has a hill of its own. It is quite a big one, almost a mountain, it is called San Cristóbal, and it will turn 100 in 2020. It is so big that the zoo and several public pools are located on it, as well as several interesting green spots.
It has two main entrances: Pio Nono is located close to one of the main squares and metro stations in Santiago, called Baquedano (metro line 1 – red, and 5 – green); and Pedro de Valdivia, located close to the same metro station (metro line 1 – red).
Pedestrians and bikes get free entrance, while cars have to pay a small entrance fee. Most people decide to go on foot. Going up – it is not really steep – you will find several green areas, even with barbecues to use for free if you feel like having one, going up from the Pio Nono entrance.
If you go up through the Pedro de Valdivia entrance, you will find a very nice path called Metropolitan Path, which will take you all around the hill over Santiago´s financial district with amazing views and wooden platforms to make the walk easier. Not many people know this area because the entrance is not well advertised. You should go up and, after turning to enter the Japanese Garden, you will find the path on your right. It is important to know that the whole walk lasts for about three hours.
Also located in the Metropolitan Park, the Japanese garden is such a little wonder. It was a Japanese gift to the Chilean people, and it was fully renovated in 2018.
Going up from the Pedro de Valdivia entrance, you must walk around 20 minutes to reach the entrance, and you cannot miss it: Japanese styled doors and roofs will welcome you on your right.
Inside, you will see a well-maintained and beautiful area with traditional Japanese architecture, including a bridge, a water mill, a small river and plants planted accordingly.
The only problem with this spot is that having a picnic or sitting on the grass is not allowed. The good thing is that there are public restrooms.
The view of the city is astonishing. It is close to where Santiago´s financial district begins, and you will see tall skyscrapers and big buildings through the framework of traditional Japanese architecture, which is pretty interesting.
This area is a bit far away from the normal touristy circle, but you can visit it together with the Contemporary Art Museum in Quinta Normal and the Museum of Memory and Human Rights that I told you about in my last article about museums in Santiago.
To get there, you should go to the metro station Estacion Central (line 1 – red) and walk for about 15 minutes, or go to Quinta Normal (metro line 5 – green), located right at the entrance to the park.
It opened in 1841 as an agricultural and botanical center, and in 2010 it was fully renovated. Inside you will find several museums (Natural History Museum, Contemporary Art Museum in Quinta Normal, Science and Technology Museum, and Railway Museum, all of them with free entrance).
Also, you will find several green areas, which are nice for chilling out and having a picnic, and an artificial lagoon where you can rent small boats and have fun. This area is a bit similar to the Retiro Park in Madrid, and it is just as popular among people as the park in Spain, which was the inspiration for Quinta Normal´s design.
All around you will find food vendors and small kiosks with food and beverages, so you won´t have to worry about carrying food or water with you. On this spot, I always had picnics with my friends when I was living in Europe and visited them during my holiday, so I have such sweet, nice memories attached to this park.
I really hope you enjoy Santiago´s parks when you visit my hometown!
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